


Bonding by the horses

by Ramadiii



Category: 30 Seconds to Mars, Alexander (2004), Real Person Fiction, jared leto - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Friendship, OCF - Freeform, horse trainer, learning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-01
Updated: 2016-10-01
Packaged: 2018-08-18 21:09:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8176157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ramadiii/pseuds/Ramadiii
Summary: During the shooting for Alexander Jared finds himself wanting help with the horse assigned to him, maybe the intriguing loner in charge of them can offer some advice?





	

**Author's Note:**

> Small one-shot I did a while ago when I was bored out of my mind, enjoy!

He'd only arrived in Morocco a couple of days ago but already she was making him curious.   
She was the horse trainer for the movie and yet she kept to herself. He knew she was head strong and very protective of her horses because she'd gotten into an argument with Oliver about one of the sights being too dangerous for any big stunts. She hadn't backed down not even when the director got in her face, not until he agreed to rearrange the scene.   
Besides what he has managed to find on Wikipedia Jared doesn't really know anything about her yet she intrigues him.   
Aileen Porter. 27 years old. Taurus. One of the best horse trainers in America. 

He catches a glimpse of her as he grabs a tray of food from the catering and decides to see where she eats as she never does so in the presence of anyone else on the crew.   
He's not exactly surprised, in fact it makes him smile, when he sees her sitting in the paddock with the horse that's been set to play Bucephalus.   
He's laying down and she's leaning against him, reaching the horse an apple as Jared approaches them.   
“Hey.” The actor greets making the woman turn her head to face him.   
“Hello.” She replies, her tone revealing she's not exactly thrilled to see him. The horse looks at him too and Jared feels the stallion's interest in him is bigger than his trainer's. “Do you mind if I join you?”   
She looks him up and down, like she trying to figure out his ulterior motive.   
“If you're alright with getting dirty, why not?” She shrugs and goes back to her meal, the stallion still watching him with interest as Jared sits down across from them, not wanting to disturb the animal. 

“Beautiful horse.” He says, breaking the silence. “Is he yours?”   
“Yeah.” She turns her face to the horse and grins as she pets his muzzle.   
“What's his name?”   
“Major. I own his mother so I've raised and trained him since he was a foal.”   
“That's really cool. From what I've seen you've done a good job.”   
She turns her face back to him, not a grin on her face but with more of a smile than before.   
“Thank you.”   
“So...” The silence settles again and Jared's feeling awkward. “How did you get started with this?”   
“Look, I don't mean to be rude but I'm not gonna sleep with you if that's what you're fishing for.”   
“What? No, no!” Jared exclaims, making the stallion stir a little from his outburst. “It's not like that. I just...”   
“You just what?” Aileen asks when he doesn't finish his sentence, stroking Major's strong neck to calm him down again.   
“I just wanted to ask you something. About horses I mean.” Jared feels like he's rambling.   
“Well, what is it?” She raises an eyebrow, her tone a little less impatient than before.   
“How does one... connect... with a horse?”   
“What?”   
“I mean, I've been on horses before but never for any longer period of time and I just... I want to learn how to act around them, make them trust me. Like they do you.”   
“Wow, you're not starting small, are you?” Aileen chuckles in surprise. “Alright, but I'm only teaching you so you don't end up hurting my horses, got it?” She says after a couple of moments of consideration and even though her words sounds harsh Jared detects a hint of amusement in her voice.   
“Got it.” He nods.   
“Alright, so the first thing you need to do is breathe.”   
“Seriously?” The actor quirks an eyebrow.   
“Do you want me to teach you or not?” She replies with sass in her voice.   
“Okay, so I'm breathing.” He takes a deep breath and lets it out. “Now what?”   
“You need to be relaxed. Horses' natural instincts are to run away if frightened and so you need to be in a constant relaxed state when dealing with them. You know the saying 'Horses can smell fear'?”   
“Yeah.”   
“Well, it's true. You need to be aware of your reactions and be able to calm yourself down if something were to happen. But besides this the only thing you can really do to make a horse trust you is to spend time with them.” Aileen explains. “How is your schedule for tomorrow?”   
“I've got a couple of hours of shooting and then I'm free for the rest of the day, why?”   
“'Cause we're going for a ride. Bring enough food to last 'til evening and meet me here at the paddock after you're done.”   
Her suggestion, Jared realized, was actually an order. One that he didn't mind at all but he was a little thrown back by her forthright way.   
People rarely acted like that around him anymore and he wasn't sure if he found that refreshing or slightly annoying. 

 

“Well, look at that!”   
Jared turns around and sees Aileen walking towards him with a smile on her face, two horses in tow, one of which he remembers as Major.   
“I didn't think you'd show up.” She stops in front of him.   
“I told you I wanted to learn.” Jared says, almost feeling offended that she didn't believe his intentions.   
“So you did.” She admits chuckling softly. “Anyway...” She turns to the chestnut-colored mare at her right. “This lady here is your companion for the movie. I checked with Oliver and he okayed it so make sure you get to know her well today.”   
Aileen hands him the reins and Jared makes sure to take a calming breath before accepting them.   
“Hey there, girl.” He whispers and strokes the mare's muzzle, receiving a gentle look from her big dark eyes. “What's her name?”   
“Novalie. She was my dad's favorite.” She gets a dreamy look on her face and Jared just can't help but ask.   
“'Was'?”   
A moment of hesitation, a sad look crossing her face, but when she looks at him he's not sure if he imagined it.   
“He died a few years ago...” Aileen say, a soft look on her face but a sad tone in her voice. “Shall we?” She then asks, grabbing the bag of Jared's food and placing it in the saddlebags before mounting Major.   
Up on the magnificent horse Jared found she looked like a Greek goddess, so majestic and proud.   
“Please tell me you at least know how to mount a horse.” She sighs making Jared snap out of his thoughts.   
“What? Yeah, of course.” He says, mounting the chestnut mare, albeit with a bit less grace than Aileen.   
“Great. Now, Novalie is one of the most patient and loyal horses I've ever known so you don't have to be nervous about her running off on you if you mess up.” She winks and although Jared wasn't exactly nervous to start with he still relaxes a bit at her words. “Okay, so let's start with a walk and then when you feel comfortable with that we'll trot and then we get to the fun part.”   
“Gallop?”   
“Gallop.” Aileen starts Major off in a walk and without really having to do much Novalie follows her trainer and the stallion in the same pace. 

They make a few stops along the way to eat and drink but besides that they're on the move most of the afternoon until Jared feels safe and confident in the saddle and more in tuned with Novalie.   
He actually helps Aileen with cleaning up and grooming the horses that evening. Admittedly he needs Aileen to show him what to do every step of the way but he's so excited about the things he's learning that neither he nor Aileen minds it. 

 

With her ranch being based right outside of Los Angeles Jared often visits over the years. Being around the horses forces him relax and drop every little thing grinding in his head and he's eternally grateful for Aileen coming into his life.


End file.
